Ferry cross the Mersey, and magnificant cathedrals
Trip Start
Jul 04, 2006
1
24
63
Trip End
Jan 16, 2007
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
We have spent the past two nights at the Devonshire House Hotel, Liverpool, and have been very impressed with the friendly service, lovely English breakfasts, and fine hospitality. The breakfast/dining room is excellent, and the guests lounge very "Old England" in comfort and furnishings, while the almost two acre landscaped gardens are peaceful and relaxing.
Today we plan to be moving around a fair bit, so we decide to leave the car behind and catch a bus from our hotel to the River Mersey where we are catching a ferry. So just like the old Gerry and the Pacemakers song we caught a "Ferry cross the Mersey" and what a way to start our day. Over the last two days in Liverpool the weather has been showery, but today the sun was out and a perfect day to be on the river. After about 40 mins on the ferry, and listening to the commentary of the area and its history, we get off at a place across the river called Birkenhead point which we had been told was quite nice. However after spending two hours there, we hadn't found much to see and do. In fact we were so bored Brian found a barber shop and had his hair cut there, and then we walked back to the dock to wait for the next ferry to take us back to Liverpool. Brian was told by the hairdresser that the only good thing to see in Birkenhead was sitting at the dock and looking across at Liverpool!
When we landed back at Liverpool we wandered along the Albert Dock district admiring the old buildings, shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, and all the activity around the harbor. There are many historical buildings, statues and monuments to admire, and we took our time learning a bit about the history of the area. On the harbor is a house maintained in the state that it was during the air raids that occurred during the bombing of Liverpool in WWII. Liverpool being an important freight harbor came under intensive bombing, and was the staging point for the critical Battle of the Atlantic.
After some shopping in the Albert Docks area we went to visit the two main cathedrals within Liverpool and what a contrast there is between them. The first one which is very gothic looking and is known as the Liverpool Cathedral is just incredible and the sheer size is unbelievable! In 1901 a 22 year old won the competition to be the architect, and the foundation stone was laid by King Edward the VII in 1904. The Lady Chapel was completed and used for worship in 1910, and the first phase was completed in 1924, while the second phase under the great tower was completed in 1941. During WWII one bomb actually penetrated the roof space but was deflected and exploded in the road adjacent to the Lady Chapel. The cathedral was finally completed in 1978 some 74 years after it was begun, and Queen Elizabeth attended the dedication that year.
The second cathedral which looks more modern is actually older when judged by the completion dates. The foundation stone of the Metropolitan Cathedral was laid on June 5th 1933, and the design was intended to contrast with the gothic gem at the other end of Hope Street, which is the road that links both cathedrals. The dream of a cathedral, second only in size to St Peters in Rome, was carried on until 1941 when the war years brought an end to the work. After the war the crypt was completed and remains part of the present cathedral, but by then costs had escalated so that the grandiose scheme had to be abandoned and the work completed to that time is only a fragment of what might have been. In 1960 architects from all over the world were invited to design a new cathedral to incorporate the existing crypt and to be completed in no more than 5 years. The revolutionary design of a perfectly circular nave of glass and concrete was chosen and built between 1962 and 1967, and therefore completed eleven years earlier than the Liverpool Cathedral.
Both are very different and while I was mesmerized by the Liverpool Cathedral, Brian was taken by the light and space of the Metropolitan Cathedral, however both are magnificent as you can see by the photos.
After this it was time for dinner so we walked into the centre of Liverpool for a pub meal of fish n'chips before setting off around 7.30pm for the 2 hour drive home to Belper. We arrived home after 3 long days, but agreed it had been a fantastic experience.
Saturday 2nd September
Today the hire car has to go back to the agency in Derby, so we go grocery shopping to pick up any heavy items we need at the supermarket so we don't have to carry them up the hill. Brian drops me off at Alan's while he returns the car and we spend most of the day waiting for Alan to get up out of bed which he did at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon (after a particularly heavy night!) We had a lovely afternoon with him and he cooked a great "spag bog" meal for tea along with some red wine he had brought back from his visit to Italy a couple of months back. We are staying with him for the night as it is Fathers Day tomorrow and Alan wants to spend it with his Dad, and they are off to see a rugby match in Leicester tomorrow. We had a great day with Alan, and as always he is great company.
Sunday 3rd September
I will take over today's entry, as being Fathers Day, most of the day involved me - Brian.
Woke up and received a parcel that had been sent to me from Australia via Alan's address. It was a Fathers Day card and gift from Jacki & Sam, and another two cards from my Granddaughters, Cara & Rainee. They were a wonderful surprise, as was the phone call from them later that morning while we had a morning in bed.
After a lazy morning, we head off to the railway station as Alan is taking me to the Rugby. He has tickets for the Leicester Tigers vs Sale Sharks in the National Rugby Union League. This is the premier Union competition in the UK, and this game features two of the strongest teams in a sell out game. Gail decides to head back to Belper after our busy week (3 days Liverpool then 2 in Derby) while Alan & I board the London Bound train for the 60klm ride to Leicester. On route I get to speak to Cathy and catch up with her, and get Fathers Day best wishes until the phone credit cuts out. Great to have heard from all three of the kids being that we are so spread out at present.
The game is fabulous and we have a great time. Alan and I are mezmorized by the fact that total and complete silence falls across the crowd whenever a player from either side takes a penalty kick for goal. I mean absolute quiet and you could hear a pin drop and all form of conversation ceases. Amazing!
We also get some good fortune as when we meet up with Alan's friends after the game to thank them for organizing the tickets (they sat up in the Presidents suite!) they offer to drive us home. So after grabbing a drink in one of the bars at the ground while they went to say their goodbyes, we both get dropped off at our door, Alan in Derby and myself in Belper. (They lived just outside of Belper, and Derby was enroute.)
A fantastic day, at the end of an amazing week.
